Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the Samruddhi Mahamarg, or Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway project, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will prove to be better than German autobahns. In the first phase, the expressway project, named after Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, will connect Nagpur and Shirdi covering a distance of 520 km.
The 701 km-long Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg is one of India's longest expressways, passing through Maharashtra’s 10 districts and prominent urban regions of Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik. The expressway will also help improve the connectivity of adjoining 14 other districts, thus helping in development of about 24 districts of the state including the regions of Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra.
“This Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg will prove to be better than autobahns of Germany,” Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said at the inauguration.German autobahns are famous for not having speed limits on most of the stretches.The Samruddhi Mahamarg will connect to the Delhi Mumbai Expressway, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and tourist locations like Ajanta Ellora Caves, Shirdi, Verul, Lonar, among others. Samruddhi Mahamarg will be a game-changer in providing a major boost to economic development of Maharashtra, according to a government release.